In The Middle Of Time
by YnneAndMiaWrite
Summary: Two girls from the future. One boy from the past. They meet midway to decide about the destiny of this world. (Not as AU as it seems. Tom/OC.)
1. Prologue

**1943**

A Slytherin fifth year frowned at the people gathered around the table. Some of them winced under his stare as he invaded their minds, delving into their thoughts like if they were open books. No one dared to even try shielding their most private possessions.

His frown deepened as he didn't find a satisfactory answer. He finally spoke up. "It seems like none of you failed to follow my orders, and yet, you are no closer to bringing me results. I'm disappointed. Once again, you've proved to be incompetent, and I shall do it myself."

With that, he got up from his chair and left the room. He refused to waste any more of his valuable time with them, at least at the moment. He had spent the last years looking for his inherited treasure, the Chamber of Secrets, and he had assumed those fools would make it easier; but no, they didn't accelerate his plans. Sometimes they managed to bully insignificant pieces of information from younger classmates, but nothing else.

They were no use for him with their recklessness and lack of self-discipline. If he was any more impulsive, he would have cursed them all to oblivion.

He was heading back to his dormitory in dungeons, when he spotted a glint on the windowsill on side. That got his attention, the stone corridors didn't gleam. He stepped closer, looking at the odd item — some jewellery, a pendant on a golden chain.

With further observation, he came to a conclusion that this little thing might be worth taking. It was old, possibly expensive, and it could come in handy.

He picked it up, and disappeared.


	2. Chapter 1

**Mia Ryan's POV**

It was one of the lazy mornings with cloudless sky, roofs bathing in the rising sun. Everyone was yawning and sleepily wandering around, and we were the same. Well, at least I was. My best friend, Joannie Black, stood next to me with her eyes closed. I wondered how she held that cup of coffee while taking a nap, but I knew she had a strong attachment to the warm beverage.

I checked the time. 8:32… The bus was already ten minutes late. _Great. Like if we can afford another delay._ I nudged Joannie and she woke up, confused.

"What happened?"

I gave her an annoyed look. "Nothing. We just can't make it in time, and the bus is nowhere to be seen."

"Okay. Maybe we shouldn't go there, after all," she suggested and sipped from her cup, frowning. Her relatives invited us to meet them in a nearby town at her grandma's place, but we overslept. We were not morning people, especially when the summer break just started, and neither of us wanted to spend our free days under their supervision.

"That would be nice. We can make some excuse, like… we can't arrive, because the weather is too hot and you fainted. Or the bus driver kidnapped us, and we'd send them a message from cut-out letters. Or… I don't know, anything…"

"Too late."

"Yeah, we are."

"I meant—"

"I know."

"Alright." Joannie threw her empty paper cup into the nearest trash. "I just hope it will be over soon."

I smiled to encourage both of us and leaned in to hug her. "We will get out of there as soon as possible, deal?"

Joannie nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes.

At that instant, something changed. I couldn't exactly say what. Maybe I felt a cold shiver running through my entire body. And maybe, all of sudden, the cars and people grew silent. Whatever happened, it made me let Joannie go, look up, and _freeze_.

Right in front of us, there was a strange, ravishing scenery. Deep forest surrounding the valley, peaks of mountains on horizon, ancient ruins and white mist covering the grounds. I shivered under the feathery touch of breeze.

"Do you…" Joannie cleared her throat, like if her voice caught there, "do you see it as well?"

"I don't know, I see ruins, but… it's… weird. Are we hallucinating?"

"And those ruins just became a castle?"

"It seems like we see the same. I guess… One of us is dreaming?"

We stood there still, many thoughts were sprinting through my mind. _Where are we? How have we got here? What to do? How did the castle appear out of nowhere? _I was paralysed and confused, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Everything I came up with was as impossible as beholding a unicorn.

"It's a silly idea, but… we could go there," Joannie suddenly said, startling me.

"What?"

"We can't lose anything by taking a closer look… right?"

I stared at her for a moment, and then sighed. I based my decision on the fact that the weather was really cold, and we wore summer clothes. "I'm right behind you."

_Why do I have this feeling like I've seen it before?_

As we walked down the hill, Joannie voiced my thoughts: "Isn't it somehow familiar?"

"Definitely. But where from?" I answered with question.

"Mia, I'm freaking out… I can't really remember right now."

"Maybe we don't want to remember, because it seems so unthinkable," I mused. "Are we going inside?"

"What else to do," she shrugged.

Once we were so close we didn't see roofs, I realised how huge the stone building was, towering over us. Joannie, glancing back at me, headed to some side doors. And — I held my breath — they weren't locked.

We were freezing, and therefore hurried inside. We would hesitate much more if it wasn't for the weirdness and discomfort of the whole situation. I closed the heavy wooden doors behind us to escape the chill.

"Much better," I smiled, and finaly looked up."Do you know where we are now?"

"Well, I have an idea."

"Me too. Hogwarts?"

"Yup."

**Joannie Black's POV**

… _not that it would be possible_. From a normal bus stop, to a fictional school of magic? That was far beyond unlikely.

"No matter if it's a dream, or some shared hallucination, how do we know it's Hogwarts?" I murmured.

"Good question. Hogwarts are very… exceptional. There must be _something_…"

Miawas right. _Something. Hm. _I looked around. We were in a hallway; there were several massive doors, stone bricks, and so many decorative elements that I've never seen before, even after 2 years of studying Art History—

An idea appeared, and I suggested in weak voice: "The portraits on walls?"

"Wait, are they… moving?"

"I obviously don't know yet, but if we're daydreaming about Potter's world, it should be very easy to find out."

Mia nodded and followed me. I didn't mind being in lead; though I wasn't sure I wanted to run into someone or fall into a hidden trap._ I really, really hope we will not meet anyone… But this may be easier than searching for some dangerous mythological creatures in a forest nearby._

My worried thoughts were soon cut off. We went further into the corridor and there it was, partly covered by creepy rusty armour — a portrait of an older gentleman, dressed in very old clothes. _He himself looks a bit ancient_, I inwardly smirked as I saw his hairstyle and uncommonly groomed beard.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he said.

I not-so-quietly shrieked something like "WHAT THE FUCK".

We both backed off from the confused man. In shocked silence, we turned a corner and wandered though all sorts of corridors, sometimes lit by windows and sometimes only by torches.

I didn't feel adventurous. It reminded me of a horror movie, because we soon realized we couldn't find a way out. An attemp to return failed, the rusty armour was nowhere to be seen.

We were lost.

After a few more minutes, I broke the quietness. "What should we do?"

"I have no idea," Mia whimpered. Her expression reflected my own despair. We walked slowly, passing by many doors, some of them open, revealing to us empty classrooms.

We got into a much wider corridor — I wouldn't swear by it, but it looked like an entrance hall. And that had to be connected to an actual entrance, an _exit_, right?

I opened my mouth to say something, but I was interrupted.

"What are you still doing here?" a stern female voice echoed behind us. I turned around spontaneously, although my mind froze.

"Can't you speak? Which Houses are you in?" the mature-aged woman asked us. She had a hat. We were in Hogwarts. _It's a witch?_

"Uhm..." I tried, clearing my throat, "we..." I looked at Mia, she was too startled to help me out, "we don't know how we got here."

The witch eyed us with suspicion. "It would be best if you followed me to the Headmaster's office, now."

"But we..." Mia trailed off under the severe gaze of the witch. It was clear we were both too bewildered and anxious to oppose her at the moment. We kept out mouts shut and followed her.

_Sometimes I wish we weren't so similar_, I inwardly sighed. If one of us was bolder, braver, we could have been outside already, finding our path back to the reality.

I didn't pay much attention to the surroundings, but I recognized the doors leading to Dumbledore's office. If he was the Headmaster, that is. I hoped he was; a familiar face would make this dream more bearable.

"Come in," we heard from the inside. I shivered.

The witch held the doors open for us. I stepped closer to Mia so we were just an inch apart and before entering, we exchanged one last terrified look.

"Who are our guests, Minevra?" smiled the man with long silver beard and half-moon spectacles. It was Dumbledore. And she was the McGonagall... I never imagined her being that scary. She was very different from her movie actress, but as I now realized, matched the book description perfectly. Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked less mischievous than Richard Harris, more serious and controlled. Still, his existence calmed me, although I knew he was hiding a crazy puppet master personality.

"They were wandering and screaming around the castle," she complained. I really wanted to object to the screaming part — we met _a talking picture_.

"I'm sure there's an explanation behind their presence... sit down, ladies, please."

I suppressed a nervous giggle. _No lemon drops?_

"Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"

"No, thank you. Maybe later," Mia said.

"Uhm... I would like some, if it's okay?" I always wanted to try one.

Dumbledore handed me a small candy box. "As you please. Now to the important matters. Would you tell me your story?"

I shared a glance with my best friend. What was safe to say?

"We... have no idea what happened," Mia started. "We were in our hometown, and then here, in front of the castle."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's** **note **(Ynne): Hello, dear readers, so we meet for the first time. :) I would love to do a proper introduction. Me and Mia write this together — sending the file back and forth, after a sentence or a whole page, depending on our mood — and although it's a fun way to relax, we promise to try to make the story work. With logic, and believeable characters and all, you know. I'm not saying the plausibility of a story is a common problem, but... it is, so. We will try our best. Any feedback is extremely appreciated!

If you are waiting for _the Slytherin fifth year_ from Prologue to appear again — he will. Just not yet. And then there will be all too much of him, till the end of this story. :)

Now, onto the chapter 2.

(I apologize to those who prefer a lot of action. Oh, it will come. But these chapters have different value, one that can't be skipped for the sake of faster pace. :))

* * *

><p><em>Dumbledore handed me a small candy box. "As you please. Now to the important matters. Would you tell me your story?"<em>

_I shared a glance with my best friend. What was safe to say?_

_"We... have no idea what happened," Mia started. "We were in our hometown, and then here, in front of the castle."_

...

**Joannie Black's POV**

Everything felt surreal.

I could hardly recall what happened after Dumbledore dismissed us from his office, to "solve the matter in hand". He was alone in the room — as far as we knew — so he probably needed to think it over on his own. We only told him about our sudden appearing, not that we had read fictional books about Hogwarts and people there, himself included.

And then the Professor McGonagall told us to follow her again, and she gave us lists of items written on parchments… and then, somehow, we were standing in an alley full of shops. And since there were wizarding robes and pointed hats, owls, frogs and weird leathered books, it had to be the Diagon Alley.

It wasn't as crowded as I imagined, and many of the windows were empty. Probably not the shopping season.

"Where are we going, Professor?" I asked. No one has bothered to explain anything to us.

"To get you new wands, of course." She didn't seem too excited about that. "Since you will be studying in Hogwarts from now on, you will need them."

I gasped. _Study in the wizarding school? How is it possible? I know it's a dream, but could we be that lucky? Why would they accept us, just like that, knowing little to nothing about us?_

"Did you hear it too?" I whispered to Mia. She nodded in pure disbelief.

"I did! It's… amazing, but it's not possible, or is it?"

"I don't know, but… wow, our own wands!" I could hardly contain my own excitement mixed with fear and confusion.

"We are here," the Professor announced.

We walked into the store, titled in aged gold, "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A". A bell announced our presence. The first thing I noticed was the dust; the place had to be ancient, and no one ever cleaned it. It looked much neater and cozier in the movies.

We faced a wide-eyed petite man. He smiled. "Just like I expected… wait just for a bit, misses." And with rustling and scuttling, he disappeared between piles of boxes.

"He'll be measuring us now, right?" I said to Mia.

"Yeah. He should. With that… tape measure that moves by itself."

Soon he was back, with a few packs of wands. "Here, try this one." He pointed it at Mia. No measuring, surprisingly.

"Uhm, sure." She took it. "How-"

"No." He grabbed the wand and gave her another. It continued like this with third, fouth and fifth.

"Hm. What about this one? I think this one may like you."

Mia reached for it, and just as she wrapped her fingers around the wood, a white light glew from its tip. I had to do my best to not yell something out of surprise; we haven't seen anything really magical, except for the portrait, yet.

"Perfect! This one suits you well. It's a beautiful piece. Ebony wood, suited to all combative magic, and to Transfiguration," he chattered away, completely caught up in his love for wands. I had trouble following him. "If you want to get along well, stay true to yourself and hold onto your beliefs, no matter the pressure. Its powerful core, a dragon heartstring, produces wands capable of the most flamboyant spells, and they indeed learn faster than other types!"

We were both quiet, but Mr. Ollivander didn't seem to mind.

"Now, second miss, come here," he implied it was my turn.

I knew I should freak out, it was a situation to freak out, but if this dream offered us to become witches, we should accept it and enjoy it, right?

"Sure," I nodded, stepping closer. He looked at me with those pale eyes like if I was about to take a very difficult exam.

"Well, well, well… it doesn't hurt to try," he laughed to some joke I didn't understand, "would you hold this one, miss?"

I took the light, long wand, and at that instant, warmness spreaded through my entire body. It was overhelming and very pleasant. I also noticed it glew, but now I knew that was the less important sign of a satisfied wand.

I half-listened to Mr. Ollivander praising the loyal, Laurel-wood wand that "cannot perform a dishonourable act, unless in the quest for glory" and how it might fight back if someone tried to steal it and how I must use it often and such.

_A moody, but loyal wand? _I wasn't sure if it was a good, or a bad thing, but I was excited by the thrilling sensation that ran through my veins, tingling in tips of my fingers.

"The core is very rare... it's indeed peculiar. Your new companion contains phoenix feather. It allows its owner the greatest range of magic, but they also show their own initiative, and it may not be easy to tame them. Well, it shall serve you well if you treat it well." He was smiling, grinning even, as if he knew much more than he was telling.

Phoenix feather? I could accept the wild personality of it, especially with its potential, it sounded like an interesting item with strong character, but… _Phoenix feather?!_

_Voldy and Harry got those. Why did… How..?_

I didn't get a chance to ask him about it, because McGonagall returned — I hadn't noticed she left in the first place —, paid for our wands and leaded us from the store. I couldn't talk with Mia about it, not with the Professor always behind our backs. I had to wait until we finished shopping for our school supplies, mostly books, hoping that we would get some space for ourselves soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Mia Ryan's POV<strong>

My wand was in my pocket. I was fully aware of it, feeling like jumping out of my skin if I wouldn't do anything. We walked. A lot. But that wasn't enought. The energy I felt when touching my new wand still circulated in my body.

I had a great urge to use it.

Joannie seemed to be quite stunned, too. I noticed very well how she reacted to her wand — she tensed and a silent gasp for air followed.

To my surprise, I didn't envy her at all, but worry was what bothered me. I wouldn't be able to befriend a temperamental being like that one. How was she going to do it?

I didn't pay attention, so it suprised me when I found ourselves in front of Dumbledore's office again. McGonagall opened the door for us and left. Without a word, Joannie and I obediently entered.

Dumbledore sat behind his table, but there was something different in the scene. An ancient hat, lying on a pile of papers. _The Sorting hat. We're going to be sorted? So soon? Oh my dear god, where will it put us?_

"The wands chose you, as I can see. Well, there is no doubt about your talent, then. Sit down, please."

We did so.

"Which one of you would like to go first?"

"I… could, maybe?" asked my best friend nervously. I smiled at her, to encourage her.

It took just a few seconds.

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted, and Dumbledore took it from her head to lay it on mine.

_Well, well. What do we have here_, I heard suddenly. _A very complex mind, yes._

_I'd like to go to Hufflepuff, as Joannie did, please, _I pleaded.

_So be it. _"Hufflepuff!"

Relieved, I looked at my friend. She was clearly sad. And I understood why. Hufflepuff... The most ordinary of all Houses. We had read that just stupid, unskilled people go there.

As if he could read our minds, Dumbledore spoke: "I would like to introduce you to your new House now. Students who belong to Hufflepuff are known as hard-working, loyal, friendly, honest and impartial, so there is no reason to be disappointed. Although it might not be seen at first sight, you'll find your House enjoyable and you'll make friends easily. And if you would like to know more, books always help those who seek information," he smiled.

He then proceeded to brief us into our new, fake backstory — we received our letters at the age of eleven, but our families didn't want to have anything with wizards, and therefore we couldn't go. Several years later, we decided to find a way to Hogwarts on our own, against our parents' will. Now we had to catch up with the missed years.

Joannie read so many fanfictions, I was sure she could come up with something better, but we agreed to Dumbledore's version. I preferred it over some "escaped from dark wizard", "lived in hiding" or "the letters never arrived" theories.

"Now, about age…" Dumbledore smiled.

"We're-" I wanted to admit our real age — 17 and half — but Dumbledore didn't let me.

"I think you both look about 16, or 15 and a bit? Yes, that shall do. You will soon turn 16."

_Why should we fake our age?_

There was a knock on the doors, and a small, chubby, grey-haired woman entered. She reminded me of those grandmothers who love cooking and spoiling their grandkids.

"Just in time!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Ladies, this is your new Professor of Herbology, and also the Head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Sprout."

We politely smiled.

"Professor, meet our new unexpected students, who were just both sorted into Hufflepuff. They will have an individual studying plan, so I hope you'll be able to help them catch up as much as possible before the summer holidays end."

_So it's the summer break, just like in our reality._

"I would appreciate if you could show them to their common room and to the Great Hall now? I'm sure they didn't eat since morning, and it's getting dark outside," he suggested, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Certainly, Headmaster," she smiled. I could tell right away we would like her. "Will you follow me, girls?"

"Of course. It's... a pleasure to meet you, Professor," Joannie returned the smile.

We left the office, thanking Dumbledore and saying goodbyes, and the Professor turned to us excitedly. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Mia… Mia Ryan," I answered, "and this is Joannie Black."

At that moment I realized someone could think she's a relative of the noble, pure-blood family of Blacks — including Sirius Black, and Bellatrix Black. They had awful reputation. That was not good. It was just a stupid coincidence, we were as much of Muggles as possible.

"It's nice to meet you both," she grinned, ignoring the _Black _part. As we walked, she pointed to big wooden doors on the left. "This is the Great Hall, as our Headmaster mentioned earlier. I'm sure you'll love it there. Do you want to grab something to eat?"

"I… We'd rather go to beds now, I think?" I said, looking at Joannie, and she nodded.

"Of course, you must be tired. The Great Hall is where you'll eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'll show you the Hufflepuff Basement now." She went on about the common room and the plants that decorated it.

And she confirmed one awesome fact: that the kitchen was just across the corridor from Hufflepuff, and we could get some snacks there if we wanted to eat between the main meals.

We ended up in front of a stack of barrels. We knew the entrance from the books, but that was a secret, therefore we let her explain it to us. We had to tap the proper lid in the proper rhytm, otherwise we would be doused in vinegar. She showed us the rhytm on a wall, and we had to repeat it after her until we got it right.

"Awesome! Now, Miss Ryan, try it on the barrel lid, please," she encouraged me.

I did as she requested, succesfuly, and Joannie and I entered. Proffesor followed us to the common room, or the Basement, as they called it. It was warm and round and beautifully furnished, with many plants all over the place, iluminated by copper lamps. I knew we would spend some time exploring the room later, in daylight.

"Girls' dormitory is behind these doors," she showed us, "but it's empty now. Feel free to choose any bed you want. Bathroom is connected to it. You'll find evething you need there," she ensured us with caring smile.

"Thank you so much," Joannie replied to her, looking back at the round doors in wall. "How do we know when we should come to the breakfast?"

"Oh, you don't know the time spell, do you," she mused. "Here, take this."

She offered us a tiny bell, and then pointed her wand at it, murmuring something. A small golden firework shot over to the bell.

"It will wake you up just at the right time," she winked. "Enjoy your first night here, and sleep well," she said as she closed the lid behind her, leaving us alone in the empty Hufflepuff Basement.

We were so tired, we just collapsed on our beds and immediately fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**Mia Ryan's POV**

The next morning started with annoying tingling of the damned bell. And it just wouldn't stop.

"Ugh, shut up already," Joannie murmured, face buried in pillows. The beds were really nice, the pillows overstuffed, the patchwork blankets warm. I also didn't want to leave it.

"How do we switch it off?" I asked, bothered by the sound.

"Mhmmpf... no idea." We had to, unwillingly, get up to face the magical alarm. Once we both stood on our feet, the ringing stopped.

"Great, back to bed!" Joannie exclaimed and did just like she said; and the bell started again. My friend loudly cursed.

"Okay, it looks like we can't sleep anymore."

We put on school uniforms that somehow appeared next to our beds during the night. There were several extra pieces, winter clothing, skirts and funny pointed hats (hopefully only for special occasions). For now, we wore black pants, white shirts and black-and-yellow ties.

"I never had a tie on me," Joannie complained to herself as she struggled with her clothes. "How do I put it on? It goes under the collar, right?"

It took a while, but we got from the dormitory, alive and well.

"Seems like we survived our first night," she commented as we walked. "Oh, before we get there," she suddenly stopped, "you know who has the same wand core like I do, right? I was afraid to say it out loud, but..."

"Yes, I-Know-Who," I joked. "But don't be scared, silly. Voldy and Harry share cores, and Fawkes didn't lose any other feather. Which means you're safe, doesn't it?"

"That's supposed to calm me down? What if mine is like... a lost brother, third sibling of theirs?"

_Quickly, find some argument..._ "No lost sibling. I'm ending this conversation, because I'm starving. And I cannot talk with you when the only thing I can think of is food."

"Fine, we can talk about it some other time."

"No, we can't. I'm planning to be hungry every time you mention this. And it can't harm you, even if your wand would be the third sibling. It just means they have the same source, you know? They don't even have to be connected, really."

"If you think so, but I'm still not calm," she said and sighed. "Is this the entrance to the Great Hall?"

I looked at the big doors. "Yeah. That's it."

* * *

><p><strong>Joannie Black's POV<strong>

"What'd you like to do?" Mia asked me, finishing her glass of apple juice.

"I'd like to continue on the First Year books." I never felt such passion for reading, but now, when we had the opportunity to _learn magic_, I wished to study 24/7. And without theory, we couldn't use our wands. I wanted to use my wand soon.

"Sure, I agree. But we should pack the leftover food, as a snack."

I nodded, taking a few baguettes and some fruit. I looked around; the hall was almost empty, only two teachers ate at the other end. I really liked the spacious tables, comfortable benches and the magical ceiling. I wondered how crowded it would get during the year. _If this dream lasts for so long, that is._

I stole one last glance upwards. I was really looking forward to being there during any official feast, but even now, showing an illusion of clear sky, it was... stunning.

We went back to our dormitory — to my surprise, I got the rhythm right — and we were soon absorbed by the theory, history and spells in our new private library. To finally do something with our wands, we tried Lumos, but except for Mia's small glow that lasted less than a second, nothing happened. Spells proved to be more difficult than I assumed they would be.

We didn't notice that the lunchtime passed, but we had our baguettes _(A/N: French HP readers, you get it, right?), _and the hunger for knowledge was more persistent anyway.

I shifted in my seat, my legs aching from sitting the whole day. "How about we go for a walk?"

"Where could we go?" Mia said, packing two books and her wand.

"I wouldn't go searching through the castle, we would get lost again," I frowned, "but we can go outside..."

Luckily, we found a way out of the castle at second try, and we headed to the big tree next to the Great Lake. It was a bit scary, I couldn't see beneath the water and we knew unimaginable monsters would hide there easily. All the mermaid-like beings, water demons and the Squid...

I was so glad we didn't arrive as the regular first years, on a boat, across the dark waters.

Once the sun moved closer to horizon, we returned to castle, right at the dinner time. Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen; we had space to study on our own, it seemed. That was how we spent the evening, and the next days as well.

Big feast-like breakfast, study, dinner, study and sleep.

We easily fell into these everyday habits.

If I said it was disheartening, it would be a big understatement.

Mia already mastered two spells. Okay, perhaps not _mastered_, but she did _something_. Her wand glew with Lumos, although the light faded quickly, and small light objects jumped a little when she tried to levitate them.

But my wand just wouldn't do it. It refused to do _anything_ at all.

Yes, we've been around for less than a week. We didn't even start the actual school year yet. But it was just... disheartening. I knew the movements, I knew the words, I was certain I pronounced the spells correctly...

I was starting to believe I simply didn't have any magic in me.

But I was not the person to give up. Leaving Mia in our common room, I went outside; far enough to not be seen from Hogwarts' windows. I wanted to try the Levitation on my own, determined to prove myself.

The private practise started by talking to my wand. I explained to her — yes, wands are probably genderless, but I liked to consider her a female wand — how important it is to me, and how sad I am when she doesn't want to cooperate with me. My wand didn't reply, obviously, but I hoped she somehow understood the urgency and honesty in my voice.

I took in a deep breath, and I pointed my wand at the feather I brought from castle.

I recalled Hermione scolding Ron for saying it wrong, and I tried to follow her advice to _make the 'gar' nice and long_.

"Wingardium... Leviosa," I said. Nothing. I said it again, and again. The result didn't change. Nothing happened. And then it sort of hit me; I didn't feel the warmness from my wand, the overwhelming connection from when she chose me.

_That might be the problem? Am I not connected to the magic that flows through her?_

I looked at the smooth wood, lost in thoughts. Maybe I needed to improve my relationship with the wand first, befriend her.

"Okay... wand," I talked to her again, "I'd like us to become friends. Do you think it's possible? I can promise you I will use you as much as can, and I will aim to improve and move onto more powerful spells so you wouldn't be bored. Would that be okay with you? But first, I need you to help me out. It would be really nice if you showed me that you are willing to go on this journey with me."

It made me feel so silly, but there was no other way. I sat down in the grass, closing my eyes, holding my wand gently. I repeated the plea in my mind.

I was close to losing hope, when I felt a small wince in hands. It was like if the wand shivered for a second, before settling down again. But it didn't go away completely — my fingertips tingled. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable, and soon the familiar warmness appeared as well. The increasing effect almost made my cry by happiness...

My hands were heated by the wand, and I knew she heard me out.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I got back on my feet, and repeated the spell from before. The energy floated in my veins, until it concentrated itself in the piece of magical wood, and the feather hovered up.

"_YES!_ We did it!"

I hurried back to the castle to share the wonderful news with Mia. She was in the common room where I left her, buried in "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration". She looked up when I approached her table.

"Hey, what's going on? Where have you been for so long?"

"I... You know, the wand... I couldn't... I tried and... I have to show you!" I exclaimed, unable to hold my excitement back. I knew the connection remained, the tunnels for energy open, ready to practise again.

"Slow down!" Mia laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"I... I'll just show you."

I lost the feather somewhere on the way, but there were many papers around on table. I took my beloved wand, inwardly explaining to her what we are about to do. And with one controlled wave, accompanied by the magical words, I lifted the paper several inches above desk.

"Wow!" she reacted, taken by surprise, and then smiled widely. "Congratulations! I knew you'd do it! How did you... Wait, this is not fair. You seem to have full control of the spell! If I'd try it, the paper would just... jump and fall down, if it'd do anything at all. How did you do it?"

Mia paused for a second. "I'm sorry, that was selfish. I am glad you made it. May I hug you? A little victory hug?"

"Sure," I smiled, not caring about her little self-centered complaint. I envied her too, I understood that feeling well. And it wasn't so important anyway; we were capable of magical spells. We would both become _real witches_.

The weeks passed by much faster than I thought would be possible. We explored the main corridors, not daring to turn to sides or use the moving staircase, but it was enough to find the Library. (We also met our first ghost there. He was very polite, and he lifted his hat as he greeted us.)

Outside the book heaven, our studying time_ (read as: the whole day)_ was varied; we spent the time in common room, on our beds, under the big tree, near greenhouse.

We also searched through the Hufflepuff Basement, admiring the little decorations all over the place. We tried counting how many flowers are there, but we couldn't agree on one number.

Dumbledore didn't forget about us, he called us now and then to check on our progress. He also sent two teachers whose names I didn't remember to help us with the practical aspects of magic. Professor Sprout invited us to volunteer in the grenhouse and as we took care of the plants, she taught us all we needed for nearly two school years.

There was just one thing we were not prepared to; the exams. Dumbledore didn't exactly warn us ahead. We were sitting in his office, when he announced: "It's time to test your knowledge and skills. Before other students arrive, I need to prepare your studying plan, and this shall determine which years will be included in it."

I didn't understand half of what he said, however the _test _part scared me enough. Sure, I had a lovely relationship with my wand and we collaborated like if we knew each other since our birth... but every student feared that, right?

One quick glance at Mia revealed that she had very similar thoughts.

He sent us to an empty classroom, the only person present Professor McGonagall, and there were two ink bottles placed on two tables. We sat down, and a huge stack of parchments appeared in front of us.

_Oh god. It will take weeks to do all the questions._

To my surprise, we eventually finished writing. I still had trouble with ink and quills, which doubled the time; on the other hand, I had a good feeling about the results. I couldn't be certain, but I knew most of the answers, expect for some weird latin names of potion ingredients.

Professor collected our parchments and left us alone.

"I was so freaked out!" Mia whispered. "Nervous, and... you know. How did you do?"

"I think it went well, but I really didn't expect that, an exam, out of nowhere," I complained.

"One would think they'd at least tell us ahead..."

"I know, so we could mentally prepare ourselves."

The doors opened again, this time revealing Dumbledore himself and the other teachers who stayed in Hogwarts during break.

"We shall test your practical skills now," he smiled like if it was a nice enjoyable activity. "Who would like to go first?"

Mia looked at me, and I gulped. _Great. Here goes nothing._


End file.
